Wrangle your books into a closet library.
If you have more books than space, and an extra closet, you have the makings of an innovative built-in book shelf. You can either leave the door on the closet, for a secret library, or take it off for a walk-in look and feel. Add a pop of color by painting the inside of your closet with a surprising shade. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Remove everything from the closet, including any shelving and the hanger rod. Clean the walls to prepare them for painting. Use a putty knife and spackle to fill in any holes in the walls. Let the Spackle dry over night, the sand smooth with 220 grit sandpaper. If you want an open bookshelf, remove the door and hinges. Fill in the resulting holes with spackle as well.
2. Paint the inside of the closet if desired. Since the closet walls will be partially hidden by the shelves and books, this is a good place to experiment with strong colors. If you've removed the door, repaint the trim as well to cover the filled holes.
3. Install shelf tracks inside the closet. Since the shelves will hold a heavy load, install tracks at every wall stud. Use screws and a drill for the installation. Install brackets into the rods every 12 inches. Tracks that are 60 inches tall, a standard size for tracks, will hold five shelves. The top of the bracket should be about 6 feet off the floor, so that you can reach the books. This will give you 12 inches below the bottom shelf.
4. Sand wood shelves that are cut to fit the brackets and the length of the closet. The wood may be painted, stained or left natural. Lay the shelves over the brackets inside the closet, and fill the shelves with books. Choose a quality hardwood for the shelves, as they will need to be strong enough to hold heavy loads.
Tags: inside closet, hold heavy, will hold